In Focus: Match-winner Martinez helping Villa hit new heights

Emiliano Martinez was awarded the prestigious Yashin Trophy in October and his recent performances for Aston Villa suggest he was a worthy winner.

The Argentine World Cup winner has played an important role in his team's brilliant start to 2023-24.

He was particularly impressive at Bournemouth last weekend, before keeping a clean sheet in Wednesday night's 1-0 victory over Manchester City.

Ahead of today's clash with Arsenal, we take a look at Martinez's strong form for the Villans.

Shot stopper

With Martinez a reliable and sturdy presence between the sticks, Villa have a good foundation to build from.

Even when not playing well, Unai Emery's side can depend on their goalkeeper to perform.

Martinez kept Villa in the game against Bournemouth last Sunday with five important saves, including two to deny Dominic Solanke from close range.

And those contributions allowed Ollie Watkins to score a last-minute equaliser.

A few days later, Martinez made an excellent early double save to thwart City marksman Erling Haaland, before Leon Bailey's deflected strike after the break gave the Midlands outfit a big win.

The importance of having a high-quality stopper is evident for all to see as Villa look to consolidate their spot in the Premier League's top four.

Fantastic Emi

Emery has heaped plenty of praise on Martinez, who has conceded just 19 goals in 14 league games this season and kept three clean sheets.

After the draw at Bournemouth, Villa's boss said: "He is fantastic, fantastic. He is not happy because we conceded two goals.

"He saved two very important moments and that was very important to believe through his individual performance as well."

Martinez has been similarly complementary and appears to be happy with the club's direction of travel.

He said in October: "I have known him [Emery] for a long time. When he signed for the club I was over the moon. I knew how well he worked. But he surprised me as well how he had developed as a manager.

"It is his second time in the Premier League, he was probably more prepared. He can make decisions here rather than listen to those above.

"For me he is one of the top five managers in the world right now."

Big ambitions

The next target for Villa and Martinez will be to qualify for next season's Champions League.

Their remarkable home form, evidenced by 14 straight victories at Villa Park, means that outcome is a distinct possibility.

But there can be no drop off for a team performing above expectations — and more individual brilliance from players like Martinez will be necessary, particularly with the additional demands of the Europa Conference League.

The World Cup winner's current Villa contract runs until 2027 and he has made his goals clear.

He said: "My ambitions are high. You need to ask where the path is going. If the club wants to stay in the Premier League, it's not what I want.

"For me it is easy to go and play Champions League somewhere else. It is harder for a club that haven't been there in so many years. That's the challenge."